Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Spaghetti with pork, egg and chese
Is Spaghetti alla carbonara the most famous Italian kitchen creation worldwide, after the pizza and the lasagne? Well, I’ve never met anyone that have never heard of it or don’t love it.
Few dishes have created as much discussion and anger as the famous Spaghetti alla Carbonara. With or without cream? Is bacon no-go? Pecorino or Parmesan cheese? In addition, a French website posted a version with onion and sour creme, sparking a hefty debate, almost triggering a diplomatic crisis. Carbonara aficionados compared the video posted with a bad horror movie.
One thing is sure, most places outside Italy it is prepared with cream and bacon, which both are ingredients that does not belong in the original version. Which is not that stupid, cream works well and makes the preparation easy, and the correct meat to use, guanciale, can be hard to get outside Italy.
Originally the dish is made with guanciale, a very fatty piece of pork from the jaw/chin. This might as mentioned be hard to get outside Italy, so pancetta is a good substitution. Both of these are dried, matured, salted and non-smoked, why bacon is not recommended for this dish, it is said. However, bacon works absolutely fine, if guanciale or pancetta is out of reach. For the cheese, the pecorino is prescribed, since it is a natural produce for the region. However, parmesan, or a mix of the two, is just as good.
The history of carbonara’s origin and naming is still debated today. Some claim that the dish was invented after the end of Second World War in honor of the American soldiers who liberated Italy from Nazism and Fascism. The soldiers brought egg and bacon, the romans had the pasta and the pecorino.
The carbonari, the lumberjacks of Northern Lazio who produced carbonella(charcoal) refuse that theory, who claim they made the dish before Second World War. Their production of coal gave the ‘peppery’ look the dishes they made. There is also a rebellious theory that the dish was invented by the Italian revolutionaries in the 1800s who were precisely called carbonari. These met in the cellars where they sold carbone, coal, to stay hidden. There they cooked food that was inevitably stained with charcoal residue.
Be careful with adding salt to the dish, since the cheese (especially the pecorino) and the meat is salty. Usually, a good salting of the pasta will do the job together with the sauce.
Ingredients
4 persons (starter)
300 gr dried spaghetti
4 eggs
100 gr. of diced guanciale (or pancetta/bacon)
A good handful (or 50 gr.) of grated Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan or 50/50 of the two)
Freshly grinded black pepper
Put the water to boil, add salt and cook the pasta al dente according to instructions
While the pasta is boiling, fry the guanciale crispy, or to your liking. Guanciale is so fat itself, so put it on the hot and dry skillet. Use a bit of olive oil if using bacon or pancetta. Put the heat to low when they are done.
Whip the eggs foamy and add the cheese. Add some generous twists of black pebber
When the pasta is done, preserve a 2 dl. of the boiling pasta water.
Remove the pan from the heat, and toss the al dente pasta to the pan, and mix it with the oil/fried meat.
Add the egg/cheese sauce to the pan and mix well, adding a bit of the preserved pasta water in batches, until you get a creamy texture. The sauce must NOT coagulate, add more pasta water and stir well if it happens.
Serve immediately with another grind of black pepper on, and grated parmesan/pecorino.
Tips
Warning: If using fresh eggs, there is a risk of salmonella infection.
For a creamier, and easy to work with sauce, add 2-5 tablespoons of full crème to the egg/cheese mix.
Sprinkle the serving with finely chopped parsley, it adds color, taste and a touch of healthiness.
Serve a green or cabbage salad with lemon or vinegar to the dish. It will add crispiness and acidity to the salty and fat dish.
Toss a few sliced cloves of garlic to the meat when frying, and remove when mixing with the pasta. Controversial suggestion, I know but it tastes lovely.